


Tea for Two

by CericeBelle



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:53:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3091907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CericeBelle/pseuds/CericeBelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every day in his tea shop is the same, until Levi meets someone who might make things a little more interesting. Ereri, Springles, hinted YumiKuri.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tea for Two

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cissy88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cissy88/gifts).



“But do you have anything that’s meat flavoured?” asked the customer, hands firmly planted on hips as her fringe swung over her dark eyes.

Levi resisted the urge to throw the young woman and her flustered partner out of the shop and instead settling for rolling his eyes and heaving a large sigh.

“Madam,” he began, barely managing to get the words out from between his tightly clenched teeth, “I understand that you have a…preference, for meat. However, I would like to remind you that this is in fact, a tea shop, and as such, we do not sell anything that is even remotely flavoured like meat.”

A man with a shaved head tugged at his girlfriend’s elbow, “Come on Sasha, I told you they wouldn’t have it.”

Sasha nudged his hand off. “But Connie, how can a food shop not sell meat?” she whined.

Levi could feel a migraine coming on. “For the last time, we don’t sell food, we sell _tea_! If you can’t understand that then I suggest you see a doctor about that mental problem you have.”

Sasha gasped and her boyfriend pulled himself up to his full height of not-very-much-but-still-taller-than-Levi and glared down at the thoroughly pissed off retailer.

“Now look here-”

“Is there a problem sir?” came a deep, calming voice. Levi felt his tense shoulders relax and he stepped back as his business partner, Erwin, walked over to them. The tall, muscular blonde man somehow managed to make the plain black uniform and tea-stained apron seem like it was from a glossy magazine spread. Which was partly annoying because it meant that he drew in large crowds of giggling school girls, but also partly good because these giggling school girls bought a lot of tea.

“Yes there is a problem!” Connie snapped. “This shortie just went and insulted my girlfriend!”

Levi’s eyes narrowed. _Shortie?_ Like the freaking midget could talk! “Your _girlfriend_ seems to be under the delusion that tea comes in meat flavour! It’s not my problem that she needs to see a doctor.”

Sasha opened her mouth indignantly but before she could speak Erwin cut her off.

“Now, now, there’s no need to get upset,” he said gently, his deep voice soothing the irate couple like syrup. “Levi, I believe there’s some stock that needs unpacking if you wouldn’t mind. I’ll deal with our customers here.” Levi was tempted to retort back, but his migraine was getting stronger and he really needed to get some Panadol. So he turned his back on them and marched to the back of the shop. Erwin lead the couple over to a wall full of herbal teas. “As I’m sure Levi explained, we don’t sell tea that is flavoured like meat. However we do have some tea that compliments meat perfectly if you would care to see.”

Levi shook his head as he popped a couple of pills and swallowed them instantly. Trust Erwin to be able to manipulate the situation to his advantage.

He had started the shop only a couple of years ago after completing a completely useless law degree that he hated. Erwin had been his roommate at college and had decided to help him out for a few weeks with starting up the business. A few weeks had turned into a few months, a few months to a few years, and Levi was 90% sure that Erwin wouldn’t be quitting anytime soon. If only for the fact that he secretly liked all the attention he got from the female (and occasionally male) customers.

Not that he was complaining of course. All Levi wanted to do was to order and sell the finest tea he could find. He was sick of all the cardboard boxes of crap they called “tea” in the local supermarkets, and so he wanted to sell his favourite beverage in high quality to the people. Erwin could handle the business and people side of things.

Speaking of people...he heaved a deep sigh as he noticed two children of a nearby couple running their grubby paws through the tea leaf samples. He growled deep in the back of his throat and went out to them.

“Hey, brats, get your filthy hands away from my tea!” he snarled. The boy and girl, twins he assumed, stared up at him with wide eyes that began to fill with tears. Oh perfect, just what he needed.  The two brats scampered away to their parents who were too busy looking at teapots to listen to them. Scowling, Levi made his way around the shop, shifting the products back into their original, neat, symmetrical positions before customers with no sense of placement had decided to move them.

He frowned at a spot on the table where sample black raspberry tea had been spilt and he grabbed the cloth at his belt and began to scrub at it earnestly. Things had been much more difficult to keep clean and organised since their student employee had left, a girl named Hanji who had been studying some fancy science degree at the local university. Once she had graduated, she had packed her bags and moved on to a much better paying and more interesting job. Well that’s what she had said, personally Levi thought there was nothing more interesting than tea. But quit she had, thereby leaving the two men to take care of everything themselves.

There had been an “employee wanted” sign up outside the store for a while, but Levi was picky about his employees, and giggling school girls who squealed every time they looked at either him or Erwin, were not his idea of an ideal employee.

“Uh, excuse me?”

“ _What?_ ” Levi snapped, turning forcefully. He came face-to-face with a man, only slightly taller than him, featuring a round face and wide green eyes. There was a sort of innocent and naiveté in his face, despite the fact he looked to be at least twenty. Currently he was looking at Levi with a mixture of fear and confusion, and he felt his face go hot as he realised that he had been staring for a bit too long.

Levi cleared his throat and turned back to where he was cleaning the tea spill on the table. “What is it?” he asked in a slightly gentler tone.

“Um, my name is Eren-” _Nice name,_ Levi thought before he could stop himself, “-and I was wondering if you had a job available for me?”

Levi paused in his cleaning and looked back up at Eren, who was fidgeting nervously. “Did you read the sign on the window?”

“Yes sir!” he exclaimed too quickly, turning a vibrant shade of red as the older man cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Do you have a resume?” Eren nodded mutely and handed over a sheet of paper he had been clutching to his chest. Levi took it, wincing as he noticed that the edges were marked with sweat.

He skimmed down the resume. So his full name was Eren Jaegar; hm nice ring to it. He was twenty-three, so not the twenty he had originally thought. Good. He was studying some physiology thing at university; well he didn’t care what he studied so long as he could organise and sell tea.

“You have no experience in retail?” he cocked an eyebrow at Eren who shook his head so hard it looked like it was about to fall off.

“No sir, I don’t!”

Levi sighed, “Stop calling me sir. You can just call me Levi.”

“Yes Mr Levi sir!” Levi glared at him and Eren’s face turned even redder.

“Oh whatever, you’ll learn. Come this way then, Jaegar.” He led the fidgeting man over to one of the counters, pointing at the opposite counter where Erwin was currently ringing up a mini wall of tea that the insane meat lovers had decided to buy. “That’s Erwin Smith, he’ll be your other employer.”

“Wait so I got the job?” Eren asked, his previous muteness turning into very loud excitement.

Levi winced at the sudden volume and glared at him, “Yes, and don’t shout!”

“Sorry Mr Levi!” he exclaimed, grinning widely and not looking at all sorry. Did he have to be so loud and happy?

“Don’t act so thrilled, I’m not particularly nice when it comes to employing people so you’ll probably find you’ll want to quit in about a week.”

Eren shook his head earnestly. “Not me sir. Once I’m committed I’ll never back down.”

Levi sighed as he picked up an employment form from behind the counter and handed it to the new employee to fill in. Eren’s happy-go-lucky enthusiasm was either going to rub off on him (which he seriously doubted), or make him want to strangle the boy (far more likely). Of course, he would probably bring in even more female customers, what with his boyish charm and good looks. Levi blinked as he noticed that he had been staring at the way Eren’s brown hair parted slightly off-centre and flopped gently over his eyes. He quickly looked away and busied himself by looking blankly at the computer databases.

“There we go!” Eren handed back the form, grinning widely. Levi was starting to feel an uncomfortable prickling in his stomach, causing him to snatch away the paper quicker than he had intended.

“Right. Come in tomorrow after university and I’ll start showing you what to do,” he explained briskly.

“Alright then Mr Levi sir, and thank you so much for this opportunity, this is really great!” Eren held out his hand to shake. Levi eyed the dirty, sweaty hand distastefully, but the bright green eyes were staring at him earnestly, so he quickly returned the offered shake, pulling back even faster as he felt his heartbeat quicken.

“Fine, don’t make a big deal of out it,” he dismissed as he rubbed his hand on his pants.

 “Thank you again sir. See you tomorrow!” he gave him a cocky smile and ran towards the exit of the store where a blonde boy with a terrible bowl cut and a pretty dark-haired girl were waiting for him. “I got the job!” he cheered, jumping up in front of his friends who smiled back and dragged him away.

“New employee?” Erwin’s voice sounded next to his right ear and Levi jumped, glaring at his business partner.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he snapped.

Erwin just smirked and leaned back against the counter. “You seemed to be staring so I thought I’d come distract you.”

Levi just glared at him. “Yes, new employee. We needed one and he seemed keen, too keen if you ask me.”

“I’m surprised, normally you’d make the poor kid go through about ten interview processes and then give him a series of exams to do to make sure he was the right person for the job. Isn’t that what you did with Hanji?” Erwin looked down at him, blue eyes twinkling.

“Hanji was a mad scientist who could have blown the place up at any time. Besides we needed someone soon and he seemed capable enough,” Levi explained shortly, turning away from his obnoxiously grinning partner.

“You didn’t even call me over,” Erwin said, placing his hand over his heart in a mock gesture of hurt.

“You were busy with those two insane meat lovers, and I decided to make a choice on the spot. It is my shop after all!”

Erwin nodded seriously, grinning when Levi threw the wet cloth at him. He caught it easily and hooked it into his belt. “Well whatever you think is best, oh great shop owner.”

“Shut up, you shitty-”

He was cut off with excellent timing by a tall dark girl with freckles who yelled from the middle of the shop, “Hey could we get some freaking help over here?”

Erwin smirked down at him, “I’ll take this one, you’ll probably offend them again,” before walking over to the girl and her small blonde companion, sporting a wide toothpaste-commercial smile.

Levi rolled his eyes and looked back down at the form he hadn’t realised that he was still holding. Eren Jeagar hm? He was certainly going to make things very interesting around here.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is for my Snk Secret Santa, the beautiful Cissyswonderland who had been very patient with me. I've never written an Ereri fic before but I wanted to write her OTP, I'm sorry that it's not all that romantic haha. I wanted to but I just couldn't seem to wrap my head around it (unfortunately they're my notp so I'm really sorry about that). Also I've never posted on AO3 before so this was an experience.  
> Anyway I hope you like it and Merry Christmas!


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